Here there be Monsters
by Mugiwara N0 Luffy
Summary: Long ago, the existence of mythical creatures and races became evident to the world. For a long time, humanity waged war and hate toward those they labeled as 'Monsters'. It was not until the First Nova Clash that the fighting stopped. Humanity wanted to focus on fighting the Nova's, and the Mythical races wished for peace. But now, years later, they will come together. Post E-Pand
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so the idea of this story is really stemming from my own original story Aitu Institute: School for Monsters. I made it on fictionpress and have several ideas for the general direction of which way it'll go. But when I started to get into Freezing, for some reason I thought it'd be a cool idea to mix them together. I know, some of you might think this is a stupid idea, or that it's odd because you won't really know the characters all that well that I bring in, and so hopefully to rectify that I will be making character profiles for the main OC's I bring in. Don't worry I won't make any Gary Stu's/Mary Su's, I can't stand those as much as the next guy. But I generally loved this idea when I thought it up, so here's my attempt to jump on said idea. Please enjoy and R&R!**

Welcome to West Genetics

Gengo Aoi was having a tough time as things were now. The E-Pandora project had failed, and the worst case scenario had come to life. The result being Nova's arising from the clones that Scarlet Ohara had produced. But instead of a great deal of civilian and Pandora lives being lost, one of his great prodigies, Chiffon Fairchild, died in the clash and saved everyone. Her loss had hit him at his core, but he had no time to grieve. He had to fix the mess made by the project, and retake control of the Pandora's from Chevalier. But it turned into such a fire storm as it was. It would take quite some time and politics to get everything back to the normal, which was faulty as it was.

"Sir, someone is here to see you." Su-Na Lee said, entering his office. He raised a brow at her in question.

"I told you to hold off any meetings Su-Na, I have a lot on my plate as it is, and politics can wait." He grumbled, flipping through some papers on his desk.

"He said it was important and that he's an old acquaintance. I believe his name was Dentizan?" She declared, making Gengo stop straight in his tracks, a sweat drop trickling down his cheek. _"He's here? Of all times, now?" _

"Send him in." Gengo spoke after several quiet seconds. Su-Na nodded quietly and closed the door before returning several moments later with the guest. It was an older man in a dark blue suit and trench coat. On his neck he wore a long grey scarf that went down his back. His beard was long, going past his waist and he walked with a long wooden cane, several odd symbols scattered across and engraved into it.

"Hello Gengo, it has been quite some time, hasn't it?" Dentizan spoke, his voice deep but gentle. Gengo stood up and offered a hand shake with a small smile.

"It has been some time old friend. For a while I believed that you were gone." Gengo spoke honestly, and Dentizan returned the hand shake. "To what do I owe this meeting? You rarely make appearances unless you have something planned."

"It would seem you remember me very well." Dentizan said with a chuckle, taking a seat at one of the chairs in front of Gengo's desk. "You know I've kept a close eye on the affairs of men. This recent incident with these 'E-Pandora's' has opened my eyes to something."

"And what might that be?" Gengo asked, taking a seat as well. "And would you like some coffee?"

"Tea if you have any." Dentizan asked with a nod, and Gengo spoke over the intercom, ordering Su-Na to bring tea for them. "And that would be that humanity is in need of assistance."

"Pandora's are slowly becoming much smaller. Combating Nova's is becoming even harder than before. We need more assistance than they could ever say on the news." Gengo spoke honestly, sighing in thought as he leaned back in his chair.

"What would you say if I were to offer my assistance?" Dentizan asked, making Gengo widen his eyes. Before he could say something in response, Su-Na walked in with a platter carrying two cups of tea.

"Thank you Su-Na. Please stay for a moment." Gengo declared, surprising the Pandora. She blinked in question but nodded in understanding. Dentizan seemed undeterred by this though, keeping a gentle but firm expression. "So you're saying… the community of mythical creatures is ready to help humanity?"

"No. I am. A few others would disagree with me, and I cannot blame them. But this hate has gone on long enough. We can no longer keep up this façade of peace. Just because two powers are not at war, it does not mean there is peace." Dentizan explained, taking a sip from his cup.

"And so you wish to assist us now, in our time of vulnerability." Gengo declared, linking his fingers in front of his face. "Who would agree to even help you do this? If you are the only one of your community that wishes to help, where will you get the support?"

"I run a school in Japan hidden in plain sight. I have several outstanding students who are quite strong, stronger than most Pandora's really. At my beckon they will help, some willingly and others much more reluctant. But either way, I can provide the support needed. I will cover all funds needed for it as well." Dentizan proclaimed, setting his cup down. His expression became stern and he leaned on the table. "I am tired of humans and mythical races being so divided, Gengo. Our people deserve to walk this world like any human does. To do that, I am willing to fight on your side."

Gengo was silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. The idea of having the Mythical Community on their side was good, but it was also a huge political shit storm. While he himself never had a problem with those of supernatural origin, the rest of the world did not share his feelings. Many feared them to this day, and some even hated. Even with the Pandora's as a supposed 'equalizer' things were not very stable between humans and the Mythical community.

"Getting the rest of Chevalier to agree to this will be tougher than you think, Dentizan." Gengo declared after some thought.

"That is why I am coming to you, Gengo. You have a more logical view of the ordeal, and you know we can be more than enough help. And after recent events, I believe the rest of Chevalier will listen to whatever you have to suggest, even if it is something like this. They need guidance, and you're their greatest leader still." Dentizan pointed out, making Gengo sigh. Su-Na listened to the entire conversation with interest, surprised to see what kind of influence this Dentizan was having on Gengo. The old scientist kept a strong expression before relaxing in his seat and giving a small smile.

"Alright… I'll do it. You have my support in this. But on one condition." Gengo declared, making Dentizan raise a brow in question. "Your student's must go to one of my Genetics Academies. There they will receive first hand observation of their abilities and once we have assessed their strength, it will be clearer to the rest of the world how helpful your students can be. Is that fair?"

"That's quite alright to me. I will inform them of the deal soon. We have our goals to accomplish, Gengo. And I trust you with my own." Dentizan declared standing up now, Gengo doing the same.

"And you're sure that these students of yours can take on a Pandora?" Gengo asked curiously, receiving a chuckle in answer at first.

"My dear fellow, I believe the question should be whether one of your Pandora's can take them on." He said with a small smile. Gengo widened his eyes, unsure of what to make of the statement, but then smiled as well before shaking hands with Dentizan.

"I look forward to seeing the results of the tests then. "

"And I look forward to hearing of what will follow. I expect the leaders will find the results quite satisfying." Dentizan nodded, taking a polite bow to Gengo then to Su-Na before taking his leave. Su-Na waited for Dentizan to be gone before turning back to Dr. Aoi.

"Dr. Aoi, will this affect the Valkyrie project? If the Mythical community provides people strong enough to contend with Pandora, will it be necessary to go ahead with the original plan?" She asked curiously, but Gengo merely chuckled.

"Of course. While Dentizan's people may be strong, it will be far less accepted at the moment. Even if the deal works out with the rest of Chevalier, they would much rather take the side of a project doing with normal humans than with so called 'monsters'. It will take time for them to be eased in. During this time, we will introduce the Valkyrie project." Gengo declared, taking a seat again. "The more help we have, the greater chance we have at keeping this world safe. And if I know Dentizan like I think I do, we'll be able to achieve both our goals through this."

It was two weeks since the meeting between Dentizan and Gengo Aoi. Chevalier, as expected, was against the idea of accepting the help Dentizan offered. Despite this, Dr. Aoi was able to talk them down. It also helped to convince them to accept the offer when Gengo announced that Dentizan would be giving over a five hundred million in funds as a start. Like he had told Dentizan, the students he would be using would go to Genetics. For this, he decided they would attend West Genetics, the place where his grandson was attending.

Now he was on a plane, heading to the school with the group of kids handpicked by Dentizan himself. Well… for the most part anyway. Two of those coming were there by affiliation with the students. Gengo looked back at the students, still surprised by how normal they looked.

First was a young boy barely older than Kazuya was himself. He was a tad bit shorter and a tad bit thinner, but was clearly fit. He had spiky brown hair that stuck out past a black bandana, and his ears were slightly long and pointed at the end. On his neck was a long red scarf and he wore a solid black t shirt and khaki shorts. From what anyone could tell, he was more than excited to be going to West Genetics. He was jumping around the ship like a rabbit on red bull.

"Oi, Ryuuma! What do you think the Pandora's are like? You think they're strong? Maybe scary too, huh?" He asked quickly. The victim of his mad assortment of questions was a larger boy. He was far sterner looking, and in contrast to the smaller boy, he was covered in muscle. He had a scar going down his left cheek from the top of his forehead to the top of his chin. His hair was messy/spiky and jet black. He was currently leaning against the seat of the plane, trying to ignore the boy and sleep.

"Keep it down, Ryan. And who knows? From what I've heard, most Pandora's are snotty rich girls form noble families." Ryuuma groaned out, hoping it would satisfy the ball of energy next to him. On his opposite side was a younger boy who was Ryan's senior though. He looked about average built more like Kazuya but instead had blond hair that was also in similar style.

"Ryuuma, don't say things like that. We don't know any of them personally." He scolded lightly. Ryuuma merely rolled his eyes in response before closing them again.

"Don't be such a baby, Sora." A quiet, feminine voice spoke up behind the two. It was a girl with scarlet red hair that went past her shoulders and was wavy. She wore a jean vest over a black tank top and a jean skirt.

"You don't have to be so mean, Momo…" Sora grumbled as he pouted.

"Hey Sylvia, what do you think?" Ryan asked, turning to a girl across from their seats. She had long golden like hair done in a volumized French braid. She sat with an elegance and properness that was highly contradicting to her fellow passengers. Like Ryan, her ears were pointed but slightly longer. She merely glanced at Ryan from the side before scoffing.

"I doubt that these Pandora are much to speak of. They're humans after all, no matter what you try to change about them." She declared, speaking with a serine and melodious like voice.

"Now that I think about it, they probably act a lot like her." Ryuuma pointed out casually, something that made the blond grow a vein on her head. It didn't help that Ryan was laughing at the joke, while Sora tried to play peace maker again. From where Gengo was standing, they were all just a bunch of kids. Pandora's were usually set to a standard that forced them to be far more serious in general, but it didn't look like Dentizan held that standard for his students. He shook off the thoughts though, and approached the group.

"Thank you all for coming here, please take a seat." Gengo announced, his second statement mostly fixated at Ryan. The jumpy boy took a seat surprisingly quick, staring at Gengo with child like curiosity.

"My name is Gengo Aoi. I'm the chief director of the Pandora project. I would like to welcome you all to the beginning of our joint partnership." He announced, crossing his arms. "From now on, as you know, you'll be attending West Genetics, a military academy for Pandora's and Limiters. There you will be tested and trained with and against Pandora's. All of this is to help in our battles against the Nova. Highly advanced race of aliens who keep attacking our cities."

"And so now that you guys are so desperate for help, you're looking at us?" Ryuuma asked with a raised brow. Sora whispered something to reprimand him, but was ignored. Gengo merely chuckled and nodded.

"I suppose you could say that. After all only ten or so years ago, this kind of alliance would not be considered by both sides of politics."

"But with the recent events in Alaska, Chevalier looks weak. Thanks to that, Dentizan the Wise used this opportunity to make this offer, correct?" Sylvia inquired this time, to which the doctor nodded.

"He always had the best timing in things." Gengo declared with a chuckle. "And so here you all are. Remember, unlike Aitu Institute, this is still a military academy. You are expected to act in a matter befitting of our alliance together and to take orders from those above you, understood?"

"Gotcha!" Ryan said with a salute and his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth.

"Take this a bit more seriously will you?" Momo grumbled in annoyance. Ryuuma merely smirked and leaned back in his chair again, Gengo seemingly done as the pilot called out to him.

"Hey guys, I think we're here!" Sora pointed out, looking through the window.

"That's right kids, get ready to land." Gengo announced, walking to the front of the plane.

"Welcome to West Genetics."

**Well that's the end of the first chapter! I hope that didn't feel too rushed, I just wanted to get the group to West Genetics already. Don't worry, over time you'll learn more about each of them as it goes. I'll do my best to throw together good character profiles for them and put them in my bio or possibly at the end of chapters, one per chapter. I hope you all consider this story, it'll keep getting good! Remember to R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, now that the introduction chapter is over, time for their arrival! Not everyone will be particularly happy with this arrangement, as you'll soon find out. Also thank you to those who followed, favorite and reviewed! I was hoping a little support would lean toward this story, and it helped me feel good about continuing on with more :3 please enjoy!**

First Impressions

Yu-Mi Kim, former Pandora and now teacher at West Genetics, had her hands full for the past week. The news of the alliance between the Mythical Community and Chevalier had spread quite fast through all corners of the world. It was no surprise when uproar at West Genetics took place. After all, it was here that the students of Aitu Institute, a safe haven for 'monsters' in the human world, would be staying. Gengo Aoi had elected West Genetics himself for their stay, saying it was best suited for said students. Kim knew better though, and suspected some sort of ulterior motive. Despite this, she would keep her thoughts to herself. It was bad enough to have complaints left and fourth about having 'monsters' attending.

Personally, she felt a certain amount of respect for the Mythical Community, for when they could have taken the human world for their own after the First Nova Clash, they chose to ask for peace. She also had a personal debt to a person from the Mythical Community, one who saved her during the Eighth Nova Clash. But such thoughts were not shared by the rest of West Genetics. Many mixed feelings ran through the school. Some were looking forward to seeing the 'monsters'. Others were completely against having them here, this including Attia Simmons. Her, and the rest of the top ranked third years, were summoned to the main office.

"I won't stand for this, I won't!" Attia complained, stomping her feet in aggravation. Across from her, Arnett MacMillan sighed in annoyance.

"Quit your whining already, Attia. It's done. They're supposed to be here today too." Arnett said with a roll of her eyes.

"What do you think they're actually like? I've never met any 'monsters' before." Creo declared thoughtfully. Ingrid stood at her side silently, feeling no need to add any of her own thoughts to the conversation. She hadn't met any mythical creatures before either, and had no reason to hate them.

"That's enough chatting. I called you all here for a reason, so quiet." Kim spoke up, her words quickly putting a stop to the conversation. "First of all, I don't want any problems toward these new kids. I know you third years hold your pride high here at West Genetics with the other students, but this is different."

"Of course it's different. They're not other students, they're monstrosities." Attia grumbled sourly.

"I don't care how you feel about them, any of you, because right now they're our greatest ally. The… Mythical Community is powerful. I'm sure you all know about how the Third Nova Clash turned out. Several Q-Class Nova's were storming part of the Mythical Community in Japan, and a single warrior decimated them all. If we could have someone half that power on our side, it would be helpful." Kim explained, quieting Attia in her rants for the moment.

"Was that why you called us here?" Arnett asked curiously, but Kim shook her head.

"No, the other reason I called you here is because Sister Margaret would like to have several mock battles between the new guests and some of the students tomorrow. I wanted to see which of you were interested." Kim explained, surprising the group of Pandora's.

"How many of us will you need?" Arnett asked.

"Only three of you are needed. There are supposedly five coming, but two of them are being brought along for the sake of one of those you will be fighting."

"I'm game! I'd like to see what they can do." Arnett spoke up quickly with a smirk.

"I'll also take part then." Creo announced calmly. The group looked to Attia in question who sweated slightly.

"I suppose I can take part as well…" She declared after a long moment. Ingrid noticed that she was slightly shaking, and sweat was dripping down her face in moments. Attia was very afraid, far beyond what anyone should feel without firsthand experience against such foes.

"I'll relieve Attia of her spot." Ingrid spoke up, smirking in anticipation. "I'd like to see what kind of principles these beasts have." Attia looked slightly relieved, but felt bad that Ingrid chose to do so.

"You don't have to do that, Ingrid…" She muttered, but the red head rejected her intervention.

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I'm curious to see what they can do."

"Well since all that is decided, you all can return to your own business. They've already arrived, and tomorrow we'll hold a small introduction ceremony and then the mock battles." Kim declared, standing from her desk.

"Th-they're here already?" Attia sputtered, slightly panicked by the news.

"Stop your whining. There are only five of them anyway." Arnett said, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, the announcement just rang out to the rest of the school. We should go now." Ingrid announced to them.

* * *

"Whoa, this place is cool!" Ryan shouted as they walked off the plane. Ryuuma looked around unimpressed despite Ryan's enthusiasm.

"What's so cool about it? It's smaller than Aitu Institute is." He declared as he stepped off the plane himself.

"That's because Aitu Institute has to hold far more people than a single Genetics base. I believe it was estimated that our school holds up to as many as five Genetics facilities." Sora explained thoughtfully.

"Thanks for the fun fact, nerd." Momo teased as she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him along. "Why do you always tease me like that, Momo-nee?" He whined in response.

"Humans and their toys." Sylvia said with a scoff, looking around at all the technology the school had to offer.

"This is where I take my leave." Gengo announced from the plane. "Sister Margaret, the headmaster here, will take over for me. Enjoy your stay here. I think you'll find it quite interesting." With that, the plane took off. As if on cue, an elderly woman in a white robe approached the group, several women surrounding her like body guards.

"Hello there, young ones. I am Sister Margaret, headmaster of West Genetics. It is a pleasure to have you all here with us today." She said bowing politely.

"Really now? I figured there would be a problem with having a couple 'monsters' on a government facility." Ryuuma declared sourly.

"Ryuuma, stop…" Sora said quietly. A small sigh from sister Margaret came, and she nodded.

"I have no personal hate toward any of you or those labeled 'monsters'. But I cannot say the same for those attending this academy. I apologize for any problems you may receive while you're here. Come to me if you have any complaints."

"We came here knowing that humans still fear us, despite the 'peace'. It won't be too much of a problem." Sylvia declared, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, we'll just settle it over a fight or something. That always works." Ryuuma said with a smirk, making his friends other than Ryan sweat drop.

"Please try to refrain from starting a fight on campus, if you can help it. But to be honest, fights are quite common among Pandora because of a hierarchy system held in this school." Sister Margaret claimed, grabbing the group's attention.

"What's a hierarchy system?" Ryan asked, blinking in confusion.

"It's usually a system where status and rank provide the ladder of things. If there are younger students just attending the school, then those who have been attending for a while are considered above them in the hierarchy." Sora explained, although from the comical thinking face that Ryan was making, it didn't seem to help very much.

"That better not apply to us. We're not here for some stupid school after all." Ryuuma hissed in annoyance.

"It's a good thing there's already a lot of fighting, or you would definitely get expelled." Momo teased with a sly smirk, making Ryuuma pop a vein on his head.

"Now that you're all ready to go, I will have a teacher show you to your dorms. I will meet you all tomorrow again at the introduction ceremony, please dress accordingly." Sister Margaret said, taking a polite bow before leaving with her guards.

"Is it me or are we being handed off to people a lot?" Ryuuma asked with a sweat drop.

"It's just how things are run around here, I don't think it's anything personal." Sora suggested.

"Hey there, kids!" A woman announced as she approached them. "Sorry for making you wait a bit! I'm Elize Smitz, the schools doctor. I'll be showing you around the school today!" She announced, sounding very relaxed about the situation.

"Oh, can you show us to where some food is? I'm really hungry!" Ryan asked hopefully, but was shot down.

"Sorry but we'll have to put your meal on hold until after we've toured the Academy." She apologized, making Ryan pout. "That's lame…"

"Don't worry, it won't take that long. Once we're done, I'll take you there myself. Now please follow me!"

* * *

After a little under an hour of roaming around the facility, showing them to their dorms and giving them a map and key to their rooms, Elize brought the group to the lunch area. They were receiving many side glances and cowering people as they went.

"Alright, that's the end of the tour! Is there anything else you'd like help with? Would you like me to guide you around when you're done eating?" She asked curiously.

"No thanks, I think we have our bearings of the academy. Thank you for taking the time to show us around, Smitz-sensei." Sora said, bowing politely to the doctor.

"No problem! Just come to me if you need something." She proclaimed as she took her leave. Ryuuma glanced around at the cafeteria, seeing the eyes beating down on the group through the quietness.

"Now this is what I was expecting earlier. Guess it was just a little delayed." Ryuuma huffed.

"Food!" Ryan proclaimed loudly, looking around at the stands. Of course this confused those around them, thinking that he was talking about the people in the room.

"Th-they're really monsters! They want to eat us too?" A kid exclaimed before those around him gasped in fear. Ryan quickly rushed past several students to the counter where food was served. The other students didn't hesitate to move out of his way, afraid he may try something.

"Oh, were you guys in line?" Ryan asked as he noticed those around him now, but was oblivious to the obvious fear they had of him.

"N-no, go right ahead!" A random boy sputtered, quickly backing away along with others.

"Ok then, if you say so!" Ryan said happily, looking at the menu without pause.

"He really doesn't know what is going on huh?" Ryuuma stated with a face palm.

"If Ryan were to ever know what was going on, it would be a sign of the apocalypse." Momo said with a roll of her eyes. Ryan walked back with a platter of over twenty burgers and fries, almost drooling as he did so.

"Hey guys, I got us food! Let's go eat!" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

Sylvia seemed revolted by the choice in food though, turning her head away with a scoff."As if I'd eat such a savage's food."

"Fine then, go starve princess." Ryuuma said, taking a burger. "We'll be over here enjoying our meal." Sylvia's eye twitched and her hand started to glow.

"I'll teach you for such insolence…" She muttered darkly, glaring at Ryuuma. Before she could do something though, Momo grabbed her shoulder.

"Just let it go. You know he's like that all the time." She said with a sigh. Sylvia clicked her tongue but relaxed her power.

"Let's try and find a table shall we?" Sora suggested, trying to move on from the subject.

"Yeah, I wanna eat already!" Ryan said, his words muffled as he bit into a burger.

"Idiot, you're already eating!" Ryuuma shouted in exasperation. Ryan laughed with his mouth full, some bits and chunks flying out of his mouth. The group moved through the cafeteria, looking from table to table. Most were taken up, and those that weren't full were stiff with fear. Finally they came across a mostly empty table to sit at. The group who was sitting there looked up at Ryuuma in fear. It didn't help that he had a permanent scowl on his face, making him look even scarier to them.

"Oi, is it cool if we sit here?" He asked.

"Go ahead!" A girl squeaked out, and immediately stood up and left with her friends and an unseen speed.

"Do we look that scary?" Sora asked with a frown.

"No, the only one who looks scary here is Ryuuma." Momo said as she took a seat, making the raven haired boy grunt in annoyance.

"Alright, let's eat!" Ryan said quickly sitting down and taking half of the pile of burgers for himself. Ryuuma rolled his eyes before taking a few for himself, Momo and Sora doing the same. Sylvia remained adamant in her seat though, refusing to partake in the meal.

"Do you think that it'll be like this the whole time?" Sora asked quietly. Momo slightly frowned but said nothing, unsure of how he would take her answer. Sylvia closed her eyes, feeling no need to answer his question.

"It all depends I think." Ryuuma declared, finishing off a burger. "I'm sure that tomorrow they'll all fear and hate us more after we fight their Pandora top tiers. But when push comes to shove and those Nova things show up, they're gonna look to us for help. That's just how humans work."

"That's only if you beat them." Momo said with a deadpan face that made Ryuuma's eye twitch in annoyance.

"Oi you trying to say I'm gonna lose?" Ryuuma barked in annoyance.

"If you continue to be a dolt, you probably will." She taunted, turning away with a teasing smirk.

"Aren't you supposed to be supporting me, jerk?!" He growled with shark teeth comically, making Ryan laugh through his food.

"She always knows how to piss him off." Ryan said, his words muffled by the food in his mouth. Sylvia grabbed his chin and slammed his mouth closed.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, idiot." She grumbled in disgust. He nodded quietly with thumbs up before swallowing all of his food.

"Um… excuse me…" A boy said behind the group, making them all stop in their arguments and turn to him. "I can't help but notice you all are sort of sitting alone from everyone and… I thought I'd introduce myself and welcome you to this school. I'm Kazuya Aoi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ryuuma raised a brow in surprise, never thinking that anyone would come up to them so soon like this. He could see behind him a bit was a blond girl with glasses who looked far more nervous than the boy did.

"Your 'welcome' to us is un-" Sylvia began, ready to lash out at Kazuya. Ryuuma was slightly pleased to see when Ryan interrupted her.

"Thanks Zuya! I'm Ryan MacTavish, nice to meet ya!" The smallest of them said, reaching a hand out to shake his. Sylvia glared at Ryan in annoyance, but the boy remained ignorant.

"Likewise, but it's… Kazuya." He answered with a sheepish head scratch.

"I have to say, you surprised me." Ryuuma spoke up, catching his attention. "Everyone else here looks like they're ready to hide their tails between their legs. Why'd you come up?"

"Ryuuma…" Sora hissed, but Kazuya waved his hand dismissively. "It's ok, I understand. It's just that I've come to never judge someone based on what others say. I believe that I should get to know them before I make a judgment."

The group looked at him with great surprise. Even Ryuuma widened his eyes in slight shock. This boy, someone they just met, had earned a bit of respect in his eyes. He didn't know many people who judged in such a way. The only people he knew like that were Ryan and Sora. He also did the same, but unlike them he was far less willing to trust anyone. The same went for Kazuya. He may have earned his respect, but that didn't mean he trusted him. Ryuuma smirked and let out a small chuckle.

"Alright then, Kazuya. Take a seat. I'm Ryuuma Jiyuu." He introduced himself, something that made Momo and Sora stare at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You don't… usually introduce yourself like that…" Sora said with his mouth agape.

"He must be truly impressed with him." Momo muttered in shock.

"You guys act like I'm a jerk…" Ryuuma muttered with a sweat drop.

"You are." Momo, Sora and Sylvia said in unison, making Ryuuma fall back in his chair comically. Ryan merely laughed at his plight. Even Kazuya joined in Ryan's laughing with his own.

"Oi what're you laughing at?" Ryuuma growled in annoyance, throwing Ryan in a head lock and trying to choke him out. Kazuya suddenly stopped and waved his arms in surrender.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that… you guys are quite a group. I think you guys will fit in better than you think here." He said with a genuine smile. He took a seat next to Sora and extended his hand.

"I'm Sora Jiyuu, and this is Momo, our sister." Sora declared, taking his hand kindly. Kazuya blinked in surprise before sputtering slightly.

"R-really? I mean wow, I couldn't tell. So you're all siblings?"

"I know we don't look alike. That's because we're all adopted siblings." Ryuuma declared calmly, resting his head on his hand. "We grew up together with no last names, so we made one to share."

"Oh wow, you all have been together for a while huh?" Kazuya said impressed by their bond.

"Just those three, I met them last year though. Same for Sylvia." Ryan declared through his bites.

"Manners." Sylvia hissed, slapping his head.

"Speaking of which, who's the blond girl watching us? Friend of yours?" Ryuuma asked, looking past Kazuya. Said boy blinked before looking back at her. He sweat dropped and laughed sheepishly.

"That's my partner, Satella-sempai. You don't have to stay back there you know." He announced to the blond who edged herself closer slowly. She looked at the group quietly with a nervous expression, nodding to them silently.

"Oi, you gonna introduce yourself or what?" Ryuuma asked, his dark and permanent scowl fell upon Satellizer who slightly shook under his gaze.

"You don't have to worry Satella-sempai, they're good people!" Kazuya assured her. Sylvia stood up with a scoff and walked away from the table.

"I'm tired of talking to humans for so long. I'll be going to my room." She announced without turning back to the group. She strutted past Satellizer, glancing in disgust at her from the side.

"She's not actually a friend of ours, more like an acquaintance." Ryuuma said rolling his eyes at her.

"Ryuuma, don't say that! She's been a very reliable person!" Sora scolded.

"Alright fine… she's more of Sora's and Momo's friend. Although I'm also pretty sure she has a thing for Sora." Ryuuma sighed, making his younger brother blush in response.

"I-I have no idea what you're…" He sputtered madly, but was plainly ignored instantly.

"Anyways, so you two are Pandora's right? Are you both strong?" Ryan asked excitedly, making Kazuya and Satellizer blink in surprise.

"You don't know? Only women can be Pandora's. Men with Stigmata are Limiters." Kazuya declared, making Ryan stare blankly in question.

"We told you before we came what Limiters were, didn't we?" Ryuuma asked with a raised brow.

"Oh that's what you guys were talking about? It sounded really boring when you told me so I ignored it all." Ryan said with a laugh, earning a sweat drop from those around him.

"So you two are partners huh?" Ryuuma asked curiously. "I know about the whole limiter thing, but do Pandora usually have partners?"

"Oh yes, it's quite common and expected for Pandora's to have a Limiter as a partner. We can generate Freezing fields that disable the Freezing field of a Nova." Kazuya explained.

"Freezing? You mean that you can make ice like a yuki onna?" Ryan asked with a look of awe.

"No Ryan, a freezing field is far different than ice abilities." Sora declared with a small sweat drop.

"I've heard that… the natural magic in the bodies of… well some mythical… races made them immune to Freezing fields." Satellizer finally spoke up, catching their attention.

"It does?" Ryan asked blinking in surprise.

"I think I heard of something like that…" Ryuuma mused quietly, looking to the side in thought.

"It was a rumor started due to the 3rd Nova Clash, remember?" Sora declared thoughtfully, putting a finger to his chin. "It was said that Black Armor Zephyr challenged the Nova's himself when they attacked part of the mythical community. In terms of raw power, he easily overwhelmed them. When they attempted to use their freezing fields, it seemed to have no affect on him at all. It's not entirely clear why it didn't work, but maybe that is something we will put to the test while we're here."

"Black Armor Zephyr?" Kazuya said blinking in question.

"Oh that's right, the humans didn't really know who he was, huh?" Ryuuma asked with a raised brow. "Black Armor Zephyr is one of the Five Knights of Old. Three of them are gone, but he and another one are still alive."

"Wow, it sounds like you guys have a few stories about them, huh?" Kazuya asked curiously, having very little knowledge of the Mystical Community.

"I guess we do, but-"

"Kazuya!" A chipper female voice rang through the room. Suddenly a black haired girl jumped on top of Kazuya, nearly knocking him out of his seat. The group of monsters paused in surprise, confused by the girl's sudden appearance. She was hugging his arm tightly and rubbing her womanhood across his arm, something that made Sora nosebleed in shock.

"R-Rana-chan?!" He shouted in embarrassment, his face red as a tomato. Satellizer was red as well, but she looked annoyed terribly by Rana's presence.

"How many times have I told you not to cling to him like that?!" She protested, trying to pull Rana off.

"He's my partner, so it doesn't matter, right?" Rana declared, making Ryan tilt his head and Ryuuma raise a brow.

"Oi, I thought she was your partner." Ryuuma asked, pointing at Satellizer.

"Oh well that's-" Kazuya began, but was abruptly interrupted by Rana.

"It's only half true! While these two fight together, they have not committed the Baptism! So until then, I will make sure that he does it with me first!" Rana declared proudly, but then blinked in question. "Wait, who are you all?"

"She just now noticed us?" Ryuuma muttered with a sweat drop.

"She seems to have a one track mind." Momo declared with a blank expression.

"I'm Ryan, nice to meet ya!" Ryan announced with a large toothy grin.

"I'm Rana Linchen! Kazuya's future partner and bride!" She proclaimed with a determined expression.

"Rana-sempai, we've been over this…" Kazuya protested again, crocodile tears running down his face.

"What's a baptism?" Ryuuma asked, hearing Rana's words from earlier.

"I-it's a bonding ceremony. When a Pandora and a Limiter become partners, they have a baptism that makes them compatible during battle." Kazuya explained.

"Oh that sounds really useful, how come you two haven't done it yet?" Ryan asked curiously, looking at Satellizer now. She blushed and turned away, unable to make eye contact.

"Because it's… said to be a very lewd and sexual act." She muttered, making Ryuuma, Sora and Momo sweat drop.

"Are you serious? I feel like that's the most ridiculous thing in the world." Ryuuma said in disgust. "Did someone design it like that or something?"

"Well I suppose it's because the Limiter and Pandora must become so close that to share their feelings, they have to be… intimate for the baptism." Kauzya explained with his own hint of a blush.

"And that's why I'll become his partner~!" Rana said happily, hugging Kazuya closer to her body. The group sweat dropped in unison, unable to really think of anything to say.

"By the way, do you know who we are?" Ryuuma asked, seeing how casual she was acting around them.

"Not a clue, but if Kazuya is hanging out with you, then I'm sure you're all right!" Rana declared chipper.

"We're the new 'monster' students." Ryuuma said bluntly, waiting for her reaction. Much to his surprise, she slightly reacted in a way Ryan would.

"Oh wow, really? I heard about that, but I didn't really know when you guys would come! For 'monsters' you guys look like any other humans though. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" Rana declared excitedly, looking the group over.

"You seem to have some interesting friends of your own, huh?" Ryuuma asked Kazuya, who chuckled sheepishly in response.

"What do you think you three are doing?" The shrill voice of Attia Simmons rang, catching the groups attention.

"One after the other, people keep coming…" Momo said with an annoyed sigh.

"Why are you hanging around these… things?!" Attia shouted, approaching them with a stomp. Ryuuma narrowed his eyes darkly at her, a deep feeling of annoyance ringing through his body at her words.

"Attia sempai, you don't understand. These people are quite nice." Kazuya stated, trying to calm her down.

"Don't give me that crap! These guys are monsters, they're here only to fulfill their needs of destruction!" Attia claimed, the rest of the cafeteria overhearing her. Ryuuma looked up at Attia, a dark grin on his expression.

"You sure talk a lot for a small brat. Got a problem with us?" Ryuuma asked lowly, his voice daring her to say something bad again. For a moment Attia stepped back in fear, but regained her composure.

"Of course I do! Your kind attacked my family when I was young! My father was hospitalized after being beaten to near death! I'll never forgive your kind for that!" Attia shouted at Ryuuma. Sora held a sympathetic look, while Ryan's expression became blank as he stared at Attia. Momo on the other hand narrowed her eyes dangerously, feeling that she might attack the brat.

"If you blame an entire race for a small groups actions, then you really are ignorant." Ryuuma said simply, leaning his head on his hand. "If you want to fight, I don't mind. Just be sure that you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions.

"That won't be necessary." Another girl's voice declared. Ryuuma looked to the side to see Arnett McMillan walking toward them, Creo Brand and Ingrid behind her.

"A-Arnett? Stay out of this!" Attia barked, but was plainly ignored.

"Man, she can be such a pain. Sorry about the ruckus she's causing. She's got the biggest mouth of West Genetics, and likes to let it run." Arnett said chuckling.

"Hey!" Attia shouted in annoyance, but again was ignored.

"It's whatever. I came here knowing something like this was gonna happen eventually." Ryuuma said waving it off. "I half expected everyone to react that way really. I guess these guys are the exception." He finished, jerking a thumb at Kazuya, Rana and Satellizer.

"Oh, hey Untouchable Queen. Getting acquainted with the new guys already? I guess they'd make good allies as well." Arnett asked with a small smile.

"Well, Kazuya insisted really…" Satellizer spoke honestly.

"It's fine. By the way, do you know about the mock battles tomorrow? We're supposed to be testing you out." Arnett asked, to which Ryuuma and Ryan nodded.

"I'm excited to see what you guys can do! Hey, are any of you melee fighters? I like to fight other people hand to hand!" Ryan declared excitedly, earning a raised brow from Creo.

"I suppose I will be your opponent then. I'm Creo Brand." The dark skinned girl announced, to which Ryan jumped up quickly and held a hand out.

"I'm Ryan MacTavish! Let's have a good fight tomorrow, ok?" He said with the biggest grin anyone could have ever seen. Creo seemed reluctant at first, but eventually took his hand into a slow shake.

"Which one of you is the strongest?" Ryuuma asked this time, his tone remaining bland. Arnett blinked in surprise before speaking up.

"I'm currently the top I suppose. The person above me hasn't been seen in a while, so I don't think she'll be fighting."

"That's fine by me, as long as you're the strongest currently. I'll take you on then." Ryuuma claimed with a small smirk. "I hope you Pandora's are as strong as I've heard."

Arnett widened her eyes at how calm he was acting, along with the other boy Ryan. Could they be as strong as Pandora's? Possibly stronger? She couldn't know at the moment, and decided to leave it to their battle tomorrow.

"I guess we'll see if you live up to expectations as well. Come on, short stuff. You'll get to see their stock tomorrow." Arnett declared, turning her back to the group. Attia was reluctant at first, but huffed and nodded, following after Arnett and the others.

"By Oreo! I look forward to our fight!" Ryan said waving goodbye to the group. Creo stopped for a moment in annoyance, while Kazuya and Rana couldn't help but conceal their laughter at his miswording.

"Looks like things are gonna be quite interesting tomorrow, huh?" Ryuuma said, mostly to himself.

"Oh geez, he's got that malicious grin on his face." Momo sighed, shaking her head.

"I hope he doesn't go on a rampage during all this." Sora said with a sweat drop.

"I wish you guys luck tomorrow. We've seen how strong Arnett and the others are, it won't be very easy." Kazuya declared with a thoughtful expression.

"Don't worry, we're strong!" Ryan said holding up his thin arms as if flexing them.

"The real question should be is if they're strong enough to hold up against us." Ryuuma stated, standing from his seat with his dark grin still plastered on. "They better not get cocky, or it might cost them."

**TBC**

**Well there's chapter two! I know it was a lot of talking and stuff, I wanted people to see more of their character in this chapter, but don't worry! Next chapter will be jam packed with monster vs Pandora fighting! I can't wait to start writing it! Remember to leave a review and favorite and follow! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Since no one seems interested in the boring talking chapters I'll just jump into this one now XD time for some action! The monsters are about to show off their skills! Well ok, just one of them this chapter sadly :P please R&R!**

Chapter 3

The day of the Mock battles had come. Pandora's and Limiters alike filled into the West Genetics stadium with a new found curiosity. Cameras panned around the arena, getting into position for the matches to start. The mystery of exactly what race of 'monster' still remained to many of the students and teachers, the only ones privy to the information was Sister Margaret and several teachers. But it didn't matter now, for soon it would become known to all who watched.

Arnett and her fellow ranked Third year Pandora's readied themselves. They used their texture to put on the appropriate battle attire for Pandora's. Attia sat in the locker room with them, more anxious than those fighting it seemed.

"You guys should be really careful. Their powers don't make any sense, so don't focus on how they do things and just focus on how to counter it." Attia advised wisely, but was waved off by Arnett.

"Come on, you think we're chumps? I'm sure they've got plenty of tricks waiting for us, but we'll be more than ready for it." Arnett declared, tightening her gloves.

"Don't rush in like we usually do. These are not other Pandora's we are battling, or even Nova's. They're more unpredictable to us now." Creo declared, looking at Arnett from the side.

"We'll have to let them strike first I suppose. It'll be the best way to see what they're capable of." Ingrid added, holding her chin in thought.

"I'm pretty stoked for this fight, honestly." Arnett stated, swinging her scythe around gracefully. "There's nothing like mixing it up with a fight against the unknown."

"Don't take this so lightly, Arnett! These are monsters you're going up against! They'll take whatever chance they get to try and rip you apart!" Attia grumbled out, fear lacing her words.

"That reminds me, what is it that makes you fear them so much, squirt?" Arnett asked with a raised brow, making Creo and Ingrid turn to the smaller Pandora expectantly. Attia froze at the question, looking down in deep thought. Her eyes were shaded by her bangs, but sweat dripped down her cheeks.

"It's… a long story…" She muttered out, giving no more information than that. The other three Pandora's waited for a moment before giving up. Arnett walked over casually and took Attia's head in a head lock.

"Hey, get off me, mad dog!" Attia said, comically swinging her arms in protest.

"Don't worry about it, squirt. If they try anything, I'll kick their asses for you." She said before giving her noogie. Attia blinked in surprise before looking up at Arnett with tearful eyes, trying to conceal her happiness.

"Hey don't give me that look! It's creeping me out!" Arnett chuckled, squeezing her tighter.

"How do you think they are preparing for our fight?" Creo asked thoughtfully, jabbing lefts and rights in the air with her volt gloves on.

"I wonder if causing pain to themselves helps store up power?" Ingrid suggested with a slightly red face.

"I doubt they're masochistic like you, Ingrid." Arnett said her and Attia sharing an anime sweat drop. "But either way, I think they're taking this as serious as we are."

* * *

The sound of snoring echoed through the locker rooms opposite to the Third Year Pandora's. Ryuuma sat against the lockers with a snot bubble rising and shrinking with each breath. He was undoubtedly excited for the mock battles, but his way of preparing for them was quite odd. Odd meaning he slept until he was called for the match. That is if his friends would let him.

"Wake up, brute!" Momo shouted as she shoved a foot in his face. His body barely moved a centimeter, before sitting up and rubbing his face.

"What's that? Is it morning?" Ryuuma asked, yawning before wiping his mouth.

"It's noon, muscle head. The mock battles are starting soon." Momo sighed, face palming at her brothers calmness.

"You should take this seriously, Ryuuma. These Pandora are quite strong from what I've heard." Sora added, concerned that they might be in over their heads.

"Yeah Ryuuma! You gotta be ready for them!" Ryan said from a table, stuffing his face with food.

"You're the last person to be able to say that!" Momo and Sora shouted with shark teeth, but Ryan merely laughed.

"You both should be focusing on your strategies. While the Pandora are quite strong, they do not have much variety to what they're capable of." Sylvia pointed out, sitting in a chair away from the group with an air of superiority.

"I don't see a point in that. I get ready as I fight, nothing more needed." Ryuuma shrugged, crossing his hands behind his head and laying back again.

"That's the reason you always end up wounded in your fights, Ryuuma." Momo grumbled in annoyance.

"One of these days, someone will hit you hard enough to get it through your thick skull that you should be more prepared." Sylvia hissed with a snooty head turn.

"Don't get me started with you, elf girl." Ryuuma growled in irritation, but Ryan soon stopped the two.

"Hey guys, no need to fight! We've gotta focus our energy on what's ahead! And we're a team here, remember? Let's do this as one!" Ryan said with a shining confidence and determination that made the two pause in their fight. Ryan always had the effect on people that made them listen, despite his naivety and foolishness. Ryuuma looked at Ryan for a moment in thought before sighing and looking back at Sylvia.

"Alright then, fine. I'll leave you be… If you'll do the same." Ryuuma grumbled sourly. Sylvia narrowed her eyes in annoyance and turned her head.

"Fine by me, just stay out of my affairs." She agreed.

"Awesome! Now let's go! I'm ready to fight!" Ryan cheered, racing out of the locker room.

"We don't have to be out there for another half hour, Ryan…" Sora spoke with a sweat drop, his words never reaching the younger boy.

* * *

The students of West Genetics all gathered at the stadium, filling the seats with a profound quickness. Many were curious as to what the group of 'monsters' could do, while others were anxious to see the Pandora's have superiority over them. Among them, Kazuya quickly shuffled down as close to the ring as possible, Satellizer and Rana close behind him.

"While, everyone's really riled up for this fight, huh?" Rana said, looking at all the students who were quite loud in their musings.

"This may seem small to us because we're here, Rana, but in truth this is history in the making. This will be the first time in our known past with the Mythical community that we will have worked together. The world will watch close on the events about to unfold." Satellizer proclaimed lowly, her own curiosity piqued over the subject.

"I hope everything works out after this. I really liked those guys. I think that humanity can take a step forward if we set aside our hate and work together. The Nova's are the true enemy after all." Kazuya declared with hopeful grin. The girls smiled at his determination, and Rana quickly capitalized by jumping on his arm.

"That's my Kazuya! Always looking for the good in things!" She exclaimed excitedly, making both Satellizer and Kazuya blush in embarrassment.

"Excuse me, Kazuya Aoi?" A girl in front of them asked, approaching the three.

"Uh yeah, that's me. Is there something you need?" He asked, blinking in surprise.

"It's the… Mythical Community kids. They asked if you would like to sit on their side line during the mock battles." The girl asked, making the three take a step back.

"R-really? They personally asked for me?" Kazuya said with a shocked expression. The girl nodded in response, waiting for his answer.

"You can say no if you'd like, we all understand." The girl spoke up, a slight look of disgust crossing her face. "They probably just want to use you as some sort of scare tactic."

Kazuya stared at her for a moment, unable to find his words until he smiled.

"That's alright, I'll go sit with them. Please lead the way, miss." Kazuya declared, making the girl inhale in shock before hesitantly nodding.

"We'll be going with him!" Rana announced happily.

"We'll be there by his side if… anything happens." Satellizer said, trying to appeal to the girls fear. She didn't speak, only nodding in agreement as she lead them to the lower levels of the stadium. They came to the outside to find the group of 'monsters' standing against the railing, the ring only twenty meters from their position. Ryan looked back at Kazuya and grinned largely, waving to him.

"Yo, Zuya! Nice to see you! We were wondering if you were gonna watch!" Ryan announced loudly, quickly walking over to the three. Ryuuma only looked back at Kazuya with a smirk.

"I'm surprised you actually came. You're not afraid how your other friends will see you?" Ryuuma asked, crossing his arms as he turned to the boy.

"Ryuuma, don't be so blunt like that…" Momo hissed, elbowing him in the stomach.

"Well I think that it doesn't matter to me. You guys are quite good people from what I can tell, so there shouldn't be a problem either way! I'm excited to see what you're capable of, I wish you all luck in the mock battles." Kazuya said, smiling at the group.

"You're pretty interesting, I'll give you that. And thanks, we'll put on a good show for everyone. Trust me." Ryuuma said chuckling as he nodded.

"Who were you two again?" Ryan asked tilting his head at Rana and Satellizer.

"I'm Rana! We just met yesterday!" The Tibetan girl complained, making Ryan scratch his head sheepishly and laugh.

"Sorry about that, I kinda forget stuff like that sometimes." Ryan declared with a grin.

"He's bad about those kinds of things. Your first meeting with him has to be spectacular for him to remember any of it fully." Sora pointed out with a chuckle.

"In case you forgot I'm Satellizer El. Brigette. Nice to meet you." The blond declared with a small bow.

"That's funny, you were all quiet yesterday. Get your-" Ryuuma was about to say snarky, but was interrupted by a fist to the face from Momo.

"She's making an effort now, that's all that matters, right?" Momo hissed with a dangerous glare that shut her elder brother up. Kazuya and Rana slightly chuckled at his plight while Ryan and Sora acted like it was completely normal.

"Does… she always do that?" Satellizer asked warily, making Ryan chuckle and nod.

"Yep! Ryuuma's really strong, but Momo always beats him up so that he'll stop being rude to people." Sora explained with a sheepish head scratch. The sound of the microphone of the stadium echoing quieted the crowds, Sister Margaret appearing on the big screen.

"Welcome students of West Genetics. It's a glorious day, for we have five guests at our academy. In our long war with the Nova's, humanity has decided to make an agreement between us and the Mythical community. We stand here today as the mark of the beginning of our long overdue partnership!" Sister Margaret stated, the crowds of students clapping loudly in the pause of her speech. Ryuuma looked around in distaste, scoffing at their applause.

"These guys might be clapping now, but they don't really mean it." Ryuuma muttered, closing his eyes as he waited for the speech to continue. Kazuya stared at him with a bit of sadness, knowing his words to be true. No matter what kind of truce there was at the moment, the long years of hate between two cultures would not simply disappear overnight. A select few may have had no problem with the Mythical community, but far more feared and hated them.

"Today we have brought three of the top students from Aitu Institute here, a place that has taught the Mythical Community to coexist with us for years now. They are held in a high light by their school, claiming to be the future's of their races warriors. Today we will compete, so that we may get a better understanding of those who have come. We shall hold three matches, one on one each. Our Third Year Pandora's will be the ones to test their mite, and to show them ours. Let the mock battles begin!"

With her words, the crowd cheered in delight, ready and waiting for the 'monsters' show of power. On the screen, two names appeared: Ingrid Bernstein vs Sylvia Mervillion.

"Looks like you're up, princess." Ryuuma said boredly, disappointed that he wasn't picked to go first.

"Give it your best shot, Sylvie! Show em whose boss!" Ryan cheered happily, fist pumping into the air.

Momo grabbed Sylvia's arm lightly and smiled. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Sylvia said giving a small smile to her friend. She looked at Sora who gave an encouraging grin.

"I'll be rooting for you, please try your best." He said kindly, and the small hint of a blush appeared across her face. She kept a straight face though, nodding in appreciation. She walked past the group, glancing at Kazuya from the side for a moment before turning her head away. Said boy was unsure what to say, watching as the blond walked onto the ring with Ingrid coming into view as well.

"She really dislikes humans huh?" Rana asked, looking at Ryuuma and the others.

"It's not entirely her fault actually. Everyone of us has a legitimate reason to hate humans if we wanted to, really." Ryuuma declared, taking Kazuya and the girls by surprise. "As for her, that's something you'll have to ask her yourself. It's none of our business to tell."

"Then… how come you guys don't hate us?" Satellizer asked, being a bit daring in her question. Sora and Momo were silent, a downcast atmosphere coming around them. Ryan seemed ignorant, however, focusing on where Sylvia was standing. It was Ryuuma who finally answered.

"For me, Sora and Momo it's because we want to move on. We had enough problems as it is with humans in the past, and we'd like to just forget about it. And that means forgetting the hate we once held the closest to ourselves." Ryuuma declared sternly, looking forward in deep thought. "Thanks to being able to let go, I was able to get stronger. Because nothing was holding me back. Including me."

Kazuya stared at the group with deep respect, almost seeing the pain of their past drifting around them. He had no idea what had happened, and he felt he had no right to ever ask them what did. But he felt a great admiration at Ryuuma's words, for they were able to accomplish something even he couldn't. For to this day, he still could not fully forgive what happened to Kazuha. And his grandfather was to blame.

He shook himself from such thoughts though, for Ryuuma's words discouraged whatever malice he might hold in that moment. If they could forgive and forget such pains, he should be able to do the same. He looked at Rana and Satellizer with a small smile, one that slightly confused them both.

"I'm glad we're all here together right now." He spoke out, making the group turn to him in question. "Because I feel that I'd like to become good friends with you all."

Ryan, Sora, Momo, and even Ryuuma, stared at him in astonishment. They were silent for a long moment, unable to really figure out the right thing to say themselves aside from Ryan who almost immediately laughed.

"You're a pretty cool guy, Zuya! I'm glad you were our first friend here!" He exclaimed happily. Ryuuma chuckled at Ryan's ease in this situation and nodded.

"He's right. Anyone else, and we might've stayed by ourselves this entire time." Ryuuma spoke honestly, giving a large smirk.

"I'm happy that someone like you was here to greet us as well." Sora spoke up, bowing in respect.

"You're an interesting guy, that's for sure. If you're not dating either of these girls, let me know." Momo said teasingly, making Kazuya, Satellizer and Rana blush in shock until Momo laughed. "I'm only teasing ladies, you may keep him to yourself."

"Let the first match, begin!" Sister Margaret's voice rang through the stadium, and it became quiet as all focused on the ring.

"So it begins." Ryuuma said with a sigh. "While we may feel different about humans, Sylvia is far different. Don't be surprised if she goes a bit overboard."

Sylvia stared at Ingrid with little interest, her hands shining a golden yellow as she focused her magic.

"I am Ingrid Bernstein, rank number 7 of the Third years in the school. I will be your opponent." The red head announced, summoning her volt weapon Divine trust and taking a battle stance.

"Tonfas? Interesting choice of weaponry. But no matter, for whatever weapon you could have chosen would make no difference in the outcome of this battle, human." Sylvia declared, magic circles appearing on the ground around her. Many stared in wonder, unsure of what kind of ability she had. "For I am a high Elf, and you are all weak."

Ingrid narrowed her eyes in irritation, swinging Divine Trust in her palms. "Let's see if you can say that once we're done here." And with that, Ingrid rushed in, her Accel Turn activating with ease as she moved around Sylvia.

"Whoa, she's fast!" Ryan admired, watching the fight with great interest.

"Seems like these Pandora's aren't all talk, huh?" Ryuuma said with a small smirk.

Sylvia's eyes danced around as she was somehow able to keep a spot on where Ingrid moved, and suddenly raised her hand.

**Light Barrier!**

As Ingrid closed in to strike, she found her attack bouncing off of a force field made of pure light energy, runes moving across it.

"That's a lot like… Elizabeth's…" Satellizer said in shock. Ingrid quickly regained her stance, trying another frontal assault. Sylvia was unmoving, keeping her barrier up as Ingrid launched her attack. This time she didn't let herself bounce off, but tried to keep her attack up.

"_I'll keep at it. There's no way she can keep it up forever, she'll have to attack some time." _Ingrid mused as one after another, she launched several shots at Sylvia's barrier. They seemed futile at first, but Sylvia widened her eyes as it started to shrink ever in the slightest.

"I underestimated your strength it seems…" Sylvia spoke, her voice calm and serene as ever. "I'll have to change tactics."

Suddenly her barrier disappeared, making Ingrid fall forward from the moment she was about to strike.

"_Damn it, she knew I'd be striking with too much force to stop myself!" _Ingrid cursed mentally. A ball of light shined in Sylvia's hand and she let it float toward Ingrid swiftly.

**Light Bomb!**

The ball suddenly exploded in a glorious light, burning Ingrid on her face and shoulder. She had been able to bounce back in the nick of time though, avoiding the explosion from hitting her completely. Sylvia smiled and chuckled.

"Watch your step, human. While you were playing with my barrier, I set up a couple traps." Sylvia spoke, pointing at Ingrid's feet. The Pandora looked down in fear, only to see a ring of light with several mysterious runes circling around.

**Light Mine!**

Ingrid was suddenly enveloped in a pillar of light, burning her all around her body. Sylvia smiled as she watched Ingrid writhe in pain, but paled when she saw the girl disappear.

"I didn't make it so strong that it could kill her…" She cursed with narrowed eyes.

"Behind you." Ingrid spoke, and before Sylvia could turn she found herself run through the chest.

"Whoa, she just killed her!" Ryan screamed in shock, his jaw dropping.

"Oi, is this how you guys usually fight each other?" Ryuuma growled, looking at Satellizer and Rana.

"I-it's not unusual I suppose, we can regenerate body parts! Can you guys?" Rana defended, unsure of the brutality that Ingrid used was justifiable.

"B-but how?" Sylvia struggled out, looking back at Ingrid through the pain.

"I use something called Tempest Turn, something that allows me to make after images of myself. You merely destroyed the after image with that mine of yours.

"I see… good to know…" Sylvia said with a smile, and suddenly her body turned into a bright light and exploded in Ingrid's face. The Pandora was blinded for a few moments and felt the burn.

"It's a good thing I can make images of myself too." Sylvia said from the side, her dark glare heavy as she looked upon Ingrid.

"Oh right, she can do that." Ryan said relaxing with a sigh.

"I was scared there for a moment…" Sora said honestly, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Wh-what exactly is Sylvia?" Kazuya asked, staring in shock at the battle.

"Sylvia's a Light Elf. Royalty at that." Sora stated, looking at the human. "Elves in general are not quite that strong, but are proficient in magic. But members of the royal family like Sylvia are naturally powerful in their use of magic, putting them in league with S-classes."

"S-classes?" Rana repeated in question.

"An S-class monster is the most powerful level of monster." Ryuuma spoke this time. "

"But that… after image felt so real…" Ingrid declared, staring at Sylvia with great shock, her sight finally coming back.

"That's because my light powers also cause illusions. Most beings use their eyes to comprehend their opponent in front of them, but if you alter the light that passes through the eyes, it will change what they see before them." Sylvia explained, holding up another ball of light.

"Then I'll just have to perceive you with my other senses as well." Ingrid declared, preparing Divine Trust in her hands. She turned on her accel, rushing at Sylvia with tremendous speed. In response, the Light Elf raised her hands, creating another barrier to block.

**Tempest Turn!**

Sylvia widened her eyes in shock as she saw three more clones of Ingrid come into play.

"They're only after images! What can they do?" Sylvia spat, putting magic into the hand she wasn't using for the barrier.

"Yes, but these after images also attack, and combined they make one powerful strike." Ingrid proclaimed, her and her clones rushing in. Sylvia grinded her teeth, releasing her other spell as she put more strength into the barrier. It was not enough though, as the oncoming attack was overwhelming to her barrier. After a combined attack, the barrier finally broke, leaving Sylvia open.

"N-No, this can't-" Sylvia stuttered, but was stopped quickly by Ingrid running her through with her Tonfas.

"I'm sorry, but for the pride of us Pandora's, I cannot lose." Ingrid declared as she pushed through Sylvia harder. The Light Elf spit some blood, looking down at Ingrid with a terrible anger.

"You little wretch… your pride as a Pandora is nothing to my pride as an Elf!" Sylvia proclaimed, suddenly throwing Ingrid away with a spasm of light surrounding her. Ingrid covered her eyes and face, feeling her body burn from the intense heat the light was giving off.

"I'll never lose to humans, even ones such as yourself. For you are the true filth of this world." Sylvia declared, her stomach wound healing as light shined through it. Ingrid widened her eyes in shock, but quickly recovered as she activated her Tempest turn, bringing forth more clones.

"I'll break through your barrier again!" Ingrid growled, her and her clones rushing forward.

"No more barriers. This time I will run you through." Sylvia stated calmly, light shining from her hands again.

**Dancing Light Spears!**

Several long spears of light formed in front of the elf, and shot out with unseen speed. Ingrid had no time to react, as her and her after images were run through their stomachs. Ingrid spit blood, falling to her knees on the ground and gripping her stomach.

"She already used her Light Spears? She must be really pissed off." Ryuuma said as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

"Is that her most powerful move?" Satellizer asked this time.

"It's one of them, but it's a horror for her enemies. And since you Pandora's can regenerate, she'll drag this as long as she can." Ryuuma answered darkly.

"It's not over with that now, human. I will have fun making you writhe." Sylvia declared, moving her finger back and forth. The spear moved along with her movements, twisting in the deep gash that Ingrid had. The red head screamed in pain, the spear almost draining her of any will to continue to fight. Sylvia levitated the other spears she had used on the after images above Ingrid, getting ready to pierce her back.

"You Pandora's seem to be able to take a lot of damage. Let's see how much you can take, shall we?" Sylvia asked with a devious grin on her face.

"Ingrid!" Arnett shouted in fear for her friend. They were on the opposite side that Ryuuma and his group was. Her and the other Third Years paled at the sight, getting ready to jump in.

"Like I said, monsters…" Attia said, cowering behind the group.

"Stop the fight!" Ryuuma shouted, trying to get Sylvia's attention. The Light Elf didn't hear him. Only focusing on this moment in front of her.

"You will feel the pain of hundreds of years of suffering that my kind has." Sylvia whispered as she readied the spears to pierce Ingrid again. Arnett jumped over the barricade, getting ready to stop the fight and beat down Sylvia if she could. But what happened next surprised her, as the young boy Ryan appeared on the stadium in front of the Light elf, grabbing her arm.

"Stop it Sylvia, the fight's over." He declared calmly, looking up at the blond elf. She grinded her teeth and pulled away from Ryan, her light spears dissipating. Ingrid fell to the ground in pain, gripping her stomach.

"You fool! You are so naïve! These humans have caused us grief, pain and suffering for years! And you choose to defend them? This girl? You are also an Elf, Ryan! You may be a low class, but you are of my kind as well! We deserve our revenge!" Sylvia roared in her anger, slapping Ryan across the face. The younger brunette only stood there with his arms crossed, taking the slap without hesitation.

"She's not the one who caused all the pain. She can't be held responsible for what humans did a long time ago, Sylvia." Ryan spoke, turning back a stern look toward Sylvia. "If we hang onto the past, then we can't move onto the future! That was the creed I made with Ryuuma and the others! You have to realize it's true!" Ryan shouted with great determination, his voice and speech ringing through the stadium. Every Pandora and Limiter, the teachers in the booths, even Sister Margaret, were shocked by his will power. Arnett couldn't help but stare at him in shock, for a moment losing sight of Ingrid who also looked up at Ryan with a new found sense of respect.

Sylvia's hands shook, her anger and frustration boiling far over their limits. She let out a shrill scream of anger, slapping Ryan once again. "You know nothing!" She hissed, but walked past him before more could be said. As she passed Ingrid she waved her hand, a light shining from Ingrid's wound and healing it in a matter of seconds. Ryan ran over to Ingrid's side and helped her up.

"You ok?" He asked, looking at the disappearing wound.

"Y-yeah… I think she… healed me." Ingrid said in disbelief, Creo and Arnett rushing next to the two.

"She's a jerk sometimes, and she's got a lot of hate. But deep inside, she's a nice person!" Ryan said with a large grin.

"Are you alright, miss?" Leo Bernard, Ingrid's Limiter, asked as he rushed to her side. Ingrid nodded lightly, getting up on her own power.

"That was some speech, squirt. I think everyone heard you." Arnett declared with a small chuckle, looking up at the stands that remained quiet.

"Oh, did they?" Ryan said blinking up, seemingly unaffected by the news. Suddenly the students all began to clap, cheering for Ingrid now that she was back up. But they were also cheering for Ryan, whose words had touched everyone. It would not change the fear that many had at the moment, but his words made them all think about the truth behind it all.

"Thank you… for helping me." Ingrid said, offering a smile to Ryan.

"No problem! A fight should leave everyone's feelings in it, and once it's done, the fighters should become friends!" Ryan declared with a thumb up. "I don't like it when people take advantage like that after a fight! It's supposed to be over when it's done after all!"

"You just love causing uproar, huh?" Ryuuma asked as he approached the group on the stadium. "Come on, they're gonna take an hour break then we'll get on with the next match."

"Alright! Nice to see you guys, I look forward to our fight Oreo!" Ryan said waving to the Pandora's as he left with Ryuuma.

"Good job jumping in, you might have just made a change for the better." Ryuuma said with a light chuckle. "And for a guy who's pretty oblivious to everything, you know how to say the right things sometimes."

"Thanks! You're the same, except you're a lot meaner when you say stuff!" Ryan said laughing.

"Hey, Sylvia…" Momo spoke as the girl walked past her and Sora. She was in no mood to talk to anyone, and felt like she needed to be alone. No one would dare stop her of course.

"Should we do something about that Sylvia girl?" Creo asked, unsure about the outcome of the fight. Arnett shook her head.

"No, it's over now. She even healed Ingrid's wounds, so we can't complain that much." Arnett said with a sigh. She turned back and watched Ryan skip off happily with Ryuuma at his side. "Besides, could you really feel good about fighting her after a speech like that?"

Creo blinked for a moment and searched her feelings and found Arnetts words to be true. She smiled and shook her head silently, moving to Ingrid's side to help her in.

Ryan would be her opponent in the next fight, and she looked forward to it.

**To be continued**

**Alright, there's chapter 3! I had originally wanted to fit all three fights into this chapter, but I felt that other things had to be said and done due to the hate and the many factors that would go along with it. This ending with Sylvia and Ryan felt right. Look forward to next chapter though, less talking more fighting! Please leave a review, favorite and follow for me! Support to my series is greatly appreciated and helps me want to keep going! Also a cookie to those who guess where the line Ryuuma said came from at the beginning of the chapter :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Looks like more people took a bit of interest in the story so far! Thank those who reviewed and favorite! Now for the real battles to go underway! Now for Ryan, you'll probably recognize his style of fighting. A cookie will go to those who guess where the influence for his powers came from, even though it's pretty obvious lol. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Sylvia sat alone in the courtyard of West Genetics. It had only been an hour since her battle with Ingrid, whom she had almost utterly defaced with her powers. She still felt justified in her attack on the Pandora, for she had lost too much to the humans. But Ryan's words, as usual, stuck in her mind. He would rarely take things very serious, and even treats fighting as a fun sport. But when it came down to it, he knew exactly what to say at the right time. No one really knew where this hidden wisdom of his came from, only that it came in very rare moments. Still, a few words would not change her mind so quickly, and her friends knew so. The fire in her heart burned bright with hate, and it would not easily be extinguished.

"Sylvia?" A voice from behind her asked. She quickly turned in surprise, but relaxed when she saw it was Sora.

"Hello Sora…" She said quietly, turning away from him again. She suddenly felt embarrassed, having shown Sora how devious she could be. He walked to her side and took a seat, smiling at Sylvia kindly.

"You don't have to be alone, you know." Sora declared quietly, making the elf princess stiffen.

"Solitude makes for a good companion sometimes better than others." Sylvia bit back, somewhat regretting her words as she knew they came out harsh. Sora frowned slightly until he recovered.

"What you did in the stadium… I understand." He declared suddenly, making her turn to him in shock. Sora was one of the nicest people she had ever met, one of the reasons why she felt a certain way for him. "Sometimes… I think about stuff that happened to me and Ryuuma and Momo. We let go of what happened, but we still can't just forget. It was too painful."

He put his hand on top of hers, making Sylvia blush slightly. "So you don't have to feel alone in your sadness, because I've felt it too. We all have, even Ryan. But the point of moving on is so that we can live our lives without being weighed down by the past, not to forget it entirely. So let's move past this together, ok?"

Sylvia was silent for a long moment before offering a small smile and nodding. "Together. Because it is a burden I cannot carry on my own. Thank you Sora." She said quietly, turning away to hide her blush.

"Don't worry, I'll help you carry it. So will Momo and Ryan and even Ryuuma if you give him a chance." Sora said with a small chuckle.

"I think he'd prefer not to." Sylvia groaned in annoyance, making Sora laugh fully.

"Let's go watch the next match together, ok? Ryan is up." Sora declared, standing up and offering a hand for her to take. Sylvia was hesitant at first but finally took the hand, standing up with him.

* * *

Ryan was on the sideline stretching his body out to get ready for his fight. Despite all that had happened only an hour ago, he seemed undeterred and excited for his match with Creo Brand.

"I've fought Creo before, so you should watch out. She's a boxer and has really heavy punches." Rana explained to Ryan, who paused in his stretching.

"Oh you guys fought before? Who won then?" Ryan asked with a tilted head.

"I did, but only after I-" Rana said proudly, but was interrupted as Ryan got in her face.

"Eh, you did?! Then how come I'm not fighting you! I wanted to fight the strongest person at least!" Ryan ranted slightly in disappointment. Rana sweat dropped and chuckled nervously.

"I believe that they chose the other team by rank in the school. Since Rana joined late, she didn't get a rank. Even if she did though, they're Third years and they're held higher in the hierarchy." Satellizer explained from the side.

"Sounds like an ineffective system if she was able to win." Ryuuma said glancing at Rana.

"It's whatever then." Ryan said, relaxing quickly after his outburst and going back to his stretching. "As long as she's a good fight, I'm happy!"

"Will both fighters please approach the ring?" Sister Margaret announced over the intercom. Ryan fist pumped into the air and started to run toward the ring.

"Wish me luck!" He shouted as he sped over to the ring. Creo, approaching from the opposite side, walked in far more casually. Ryan stood up straight and bowed respectfully to Creo.

"Let's have a good, hot blooded match Oreo!" Ryan said with a broad grin.

"My name is Creo, not oreo." Creo replied with an annoyed tick. While she admired his enthusiasm, she was getting tired of his nick name.

"Oh, my bad! I'll get it right this time, Creoll." He declared as he took a fighting stance. The dark skinned Pandora merely sighed in defeat, summoning her steel gloves and pounding them together.

"Begin!" Sister Margaret shouted through the intercom. Almost immediately, Ryan jumped forward. His speed was a great surprise to the dark Pandora, his fist nearly colliding with her chin. She dodged back, but found her guard being hit hard by a frontal kick. She could see Ryan smiling as he spun on his hands and launch another kick that hit her forearm. The pressure from his attacks was heavy, and Creo found herself staying on the defensive.

"He's so quick!" Rana said in shock, her and Kazuya staring in awe, and even Satellizer couldn't help but feel amazed.

"He's actually pushing Creo back." She muttered quietly.

"Ryan's the number one hand to hand fighter in Aitu Institute. And we're equals in power." Ryuuma declared with a smirk, watching the fight with interest as well. Ryan flipped forward and landed a hard punch at Creo's guard, forcing her back and skid against the ground.

"Come on, Creoll, show me whatcha got!" Ryan said excitedly, instead of pursuing her he stopped and took a defensive stance. Creo raised a brow in surprise, thinking that he should have continued with his attack since he had the advantage.

"Alright, you asked for it." She said with a smirk. She quickly jabbed in the air, making Ryan turn his head in question.

"Um… what did you-" He began, but stopped as a burst of air impacted his stomach. The air quickly rushed out of his stomach, and he skidded backwards on the ground.

"I'm not done yet." Creo announced, using her Accel to get behind Ryan. He turned to intercept her, but was too late as she launched a barrage of punches into his stomach. Ryan spit out blood and was this time knocked off his feet, hitting the ground with a deep thud.

"Ryan!" Kazuya shouted in shock, not expecting such a harsh attack. He and Rana glanced at Ryuuma and Momo, who stood there silently with hard expressions, making no show of emotion.

"You should not have given me the chance to attack, and launched your own barrage. I can tell you are strong but-" Creo began, but widened her eyes as Ryan quickly jumped up to his feet. He panted slightly but was still smiling, wiping his mouth of blood.

"You're really strong! Guess there's no point in holding back now, huh?" Ryan laughed, standing up straight and stretching his back.

"You were… holding back?" Creo muttered, still in a bit of a stupor to see him walking off her frontal attack.

"Yep! Sorry about that, I just do that so I can see if my opponent is strong enough! But you're really strong, so I'm not gonna let that stop me!" Ryan declared, pounding his fists together. He suddenly disappeared from sight, making Creo go stiff. A foot impacted against her stomach, knocking the air out of her. Ryan suddenly appeared in front of her, landing a hard punch to her mid section.

"_No way, he got even faster than before!"_ Creo thought as she quickly tried to retort, sending an air jab at him. He quickly dodged to the side, making Creo grind her teeth. She activated her Accel Turn, trying to keep up with Ryan again. But much to her surprise, in the middle of her Accel, Ryan appeared ahead of her. He launched a hard kick that she barely blocked with her gauntlets. She was sent flying onto her back. She rolled to her feet, searching around for Ryan. He appeared at her side but she quickly came back with a punch. Much to her surprise, he caught the punch in his hand, air exploding in it as he held on. He grinded his teeth through the impact, but gave a smile when it was done.

"My turn!" He declared, and delivered a devastating head butt to Creo. The dark skinned Pandora fell back, almost going out with that one attack. The Pandora's in the crowd gasped in shock, surprised to see their senior overpowered physically. Arnett began to sweat, only seeing Creo overpowered like this against Rana Linchen.

"He's… really strong." Kazuya whispered in amazement.

"That was amazing, good job Ryan!" Rana cheered from the side.

"I'm a little surprised. I expected this to be more like the fight against Ingrid." Satellizer spoke honestly.

"That makes sense; you would think that we all have magic like hers, correct?" Momo asked, to which the blond nodded. "Well you see many different races have different types of magic. Sylvia has Light Magic because she's a light Elf. As for Ryan, well… he's a Dark Elf."

"Dark Elf?" Rana repeated, blinking in question.

"Yeah. You would think that like her, he'd have magic abilities similar to that. But the problem is that-" Ryuuma began, but paused when he saw Creo beginning to stand up again. Ryan blinked and smiled.

"Oh, you can still fight? Awesome!" He said, taking a fighting stance again.

"I'll be honest with you now, Ryan. I was also holding back, but no more." Creo declared, a dark expression covering her face. Ryan widened his eyes as she rushed forward, but this time multiple images of her appeared.

**Tempest Turn!**

"Eh, clones?" Ryan shouted in surprise. He was knocked back as the first clone landed a hard jab against his defensive position. He held his position on the ground, trying to recover. This was cut short however as the second clone came in, delivering a powerful hook to his side and knocked him off balance. Ryan grinded his teeth, unsure of which target to attack. He barely blocked a punch aimed at his head, and slightly deflected a fist aimed at his side by another clone. They continued with their barrage of punches, and Ryan was barely able to keep them off, skillfully deflecting most of the hits. Suddenly a fist smashed into his back, making him groan in pain. The three clones now took their chance, launching a barrage of hooks and jabs on the young Dark Elf.

"Ryan!" Momo cried out in fear, for the first time showing emotion during the fight. Ryuuma stayed the same though, no fear evident in his eyes.

"No way, she's beating Ryan?" Sora said from behind, shock evident on his own expression.

"Creo is really strong, it's not his fault. Even when I fought her, I had trouble." Rana declared, watching the fight with mild worry.

"Will he be alright?" Kazuya asked in a panic, seeing that Creo wasn't holding back.

"Of course he will. I told you he was as strong as me, right?" Ryuuma said without a worry.

"Get him, Creo! Finish him off!" Attia cheered, receiving a punch to the head for her troubles. "Ow, why'd you do that Ingrid?"

"I'm not cheering for him, but he did help me. Show some respect." Ingrid declared with a glare, making the smaller Pandora quiet down.

The clones backed off from their attack, and Creo moved forward toward Ryan.

"I'm sorry it had to come to such punishment, but I have to protect the pride of Pandora's as well. Do you yield?" She asked, watching him struggle to stay on his feet. Ryan huffed for a moment, trying to regain his bearings. He smiled up at her determinedly and shook his head.

"Of course not, this fight is getting fun!" Ryan proclaimed, taking a fighting stance again. Creo widened her eyes in shock, but sighed as she prepared her attacks again.

"Alright then, if you wish that then I'll finish this." She announced, her and her clones cocking their arms back. Ryan widened his eyes and put his arms up quickly, preparing for the attack as best he could. All at once, they launched a powerful shockwave that rocked Ryan hard, explosions reverberating from his body. He spit blood and his eyes rolled back, the impact sending him flying onto his back. It was silent through the arena. Rana, Satellizer and Kazuya were gaping at how devastating Creo's attack was.

"She's stronger than when she fought me…" Rana declared, sweat dripping down her cheek.

"Ryan…" Sora muttered, unsure of the result. Suddenly the arena filled with cheers, the Pandora crowd happy with the result of the fight.

"We won!" Attia said happily, gripping the railing in anxiousness.

"He was pretty strong but that girl from before seemed to have more useful powers." Arnett said thoughtfully, surprised the fight was over just like that.

"He took that attack head on, he's quite impressive still." Ingrid admitted, sighing in relief that the fight was over.

"Thank you for that fight, it was quite enjoyable." Creo said to her fallen foe, turning her back and walking away. The crowds cheering suddenly stopped, making Creo blink in question. She turned around to see Ryan struggling to his feet, and he was laughing. He started to brush himself off weakly, and stretching his neck.

"Man you got me really good with that last one, it felt like I was about to explode!" Ryan said with a deep laugh, blood still streaming down the side of his head.

"How could you still…" Creo muttered in shock, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek.

"Oi, Ryuuma! I'm gonna open the first door! She's strong enough for me to use it!" Ryan shouted back to his friend, who nodded in acceptance.

"I know it's hard to find some people as strong as us, so I don't mind. Just don't go all out." Ryuuma answered back. Ryan nodded and turned back to Creo.

"Wh-what are you guys talking about? You mean you can get stronger?" Creo asked, unable to withhold her surprise.

"Yep! Sorry I didn't use it before, but I wasn't sure how strong you were. Now I know though, so let's go!" Ryan said smashing his fists together, a blue flame forming around them. Creo tensed, but summoned her tempest clones.

"When one enters the world, they are born. They open the first door to life." Ryan recited, the ground around him starting to rumble. The flames in his hands started to spasm, and his body became tenser and growing more muscle and veins around his arms and head.

**Six Forbidden Door Formation! **

Suddenly, air bursted around Ryan, heat rising from his body. Creo watched in awe, unable to predict what would come next.

"W-what is he doing?" Rana asked, gaping in shock of this new found technique.

"You know how earlier we said elves naturally have magic skills?" Ryuuma asked suddenly, grabbing her attention along with Satella and Kazuya. "Well as it turns out, Ryan has no skill in magic whatsoever. He can't even cast a single spell."

"Huh?" The three said in shock, his strength from before seeming so powerful.

"T-then how did he become one of the strongest at your school? What is he doing right now?" Satellizer asked, looking back at the young Dark Elf as he continued to release his energy.

"Growing up, he was treated as a lesser elf because of his incapability to use standard magic, something expected of even the lowest form of elves." Momo explained now, her expression far more relaxed compared to earlier.

"So to compensate for that, he worked on his physical ability his whole life." Ryuuma said taking over again. "He made it a purpose in life to challenge those with natural talent. And so to do that, he had to learn something called the Six Forbidden Doors."

**Open, door to Birth!**

Finally charged up, Ryan unleashed a powerful burst of air, the entire stadium being hit by the wave. The flames encircled him from his hands, and he crouched over and touched one hand to the ground.

"You go first." Ryan said with a grin. Creo tensed at his words, having expected him to make an assault as soon as he was done. She sweated for a moment before taking a fighting stance.

"As you wish." She said, charging in with her other clones. She circled around Ryan as best she could, and all at once the four forms charged in for an attack. But before she could even land a hit, and only mere inches away from landing an attack, Ryan disappeared. _"Where did he-?"_

"Too slow." Ryan said from behind her. The dark skinned Pandora turned quickly, trying to launch an attack before he could. He easily caught her hand, the air pressure bursting like before, but this time Ryan didn't seem to notice.

"Now!" Creo shouted, and kept a hold on Ryan's hand. Her clones started to rush at his side, cocking their arms back to strike. Faster than anyone could blink though, Ryan escaped from her hold, and moved behind the group of copies.

"Th-that's faster than a Double Accel! I can't even keep up with his movements!" Arnett said in shock_._

"_That's an understatement. I haven't even seen him move once. It may be faster than even a quadruple Accel." _Satellizer thought.

"What is it about this technique that made him so much stronger?" Kazuya asked, watching the fight with great awe.

"The Forbidden Door technique allows the user to increase his physical capabilities by opening up the magical limiters on their bodies. When it does that, their power increases by ten times, and then it doubles with each door that's opened. Not just anyone could learn this technique though. It takes great mental and physical discipline. Ryan is an idiot a lot, but his mental focus in battle is above anyone that I know." Ryuuma explained again.

"Sorry, but let's end this fight." Ryan said, cocking his arms back. The blue flames started to spin around his fist until he suddenly jabbed.

**Blue Woodpecker!**

At unseen speeds, his arms became a flurry of punches, and the blue flames shot from his hands like a gun. Creo tried to dodge as best she could, but the attack was too fast, blocking becoming her only option. The flames burned her arms, making her cringe in pain as she did her best to hold on. Her Tempest clones were not so lucky though, dissipating as the blue flames pierced their bodies. Ryan knelt down a pushed himself at her with great speed, hands cocked back for another attack. Creo attempted to punch him, but only hitting air as Ryan sped past her in an instant. She paused in her stance, looking back at him in fear for his next attack. Ryan did nothing, only staying low to the ground. Finally, after a few moments, Creo turned to punch until-

**Five Step, Dancing Woodpecker!**

As his words echoed through the ring, Creo found herself being pounded on all at once, as if someone delivered five punches to her gut all at once. She spit blood and fell to her knees, barely able to stand after the pain finally hit her body. Before she fell over on her face though, Ryan caught her in his arms, lifting her up.

"H-hey, what's he-?" Arnett shouted, ready to jump in again.

"That was a really fun fight, thanks for that! It's been a while since I could fight someone like you!" Ryan said with a large grin. Creo looked up at him weakly before sighing in defeat, and nodding.

"It's my loss then." She muttered before fainting in his arms. He quickly held her up, holding her bridal style.

"Go ahead and rest, you were awesome!" Ryan laughed, carrying her over to the Third Years side line. Arnett ran up to the two, checking to make sure Creo was alright.

"Here, she's ok. She's really strong after all!" Ryan said handing Creo to Arnett. Arnett nodded and laid her down, checking her wounds.

"Thanks for bringing her." Ingrid said nodding toward the dark Elf boy.

"No problem! When she wakes up, tell her I said she's strong, and I hope she gets stronger so we can fight again!" Ryan declared as he started to walk away. He suddenly stopped and dropped his hands onto his knees. He panted hard and quickly, earning a surprised look from the Third Year Pandora's.

"Are you alright?" Ingrid couldn't help but ask, seeing how tired he was.

"Y-yeah, just catching my breath. Thanks for the concern!" Ryan said with a breathless laugh.

"What's wrong with Ryan? Is he ok?" Kazuya said in concern, seeing Ryan buckle over from the other side.

"The Forbidden Doors Technique is a double edged sword. Once it's done, the user is drained of power and stamina for a time. Imagine what would happen if your stigma thing shot so much of its power through your body at once. How do you think your body would react once it stopped flowing?" Ryuuma questioned.

"It would wear us out beyond our limits." Satellizer answered easily, now realizing what Ryan had done. "But that's dangerous to his body, isn't it?"

"Very. In fact, with each door that he opens, the more it drains him once it's done. He hasn't reached a point where he can open all of the doors, but it's already bad as it is. And if someday he opens that last door for whatever reason, he'll die." Ryuuma declared darkly, making the three gasp in shock.

"Why would he risk something so dangerous?" Rana asked, feeling a certain amount of sympathy for the young Dark Elf.

"That's the price you pay sometimes. Ryan realized a long time ago that he would have to sacrifice his body in order to become the strongest, but he's ok with that. As long as a man sticks with his resolve like that through thick and thin, then can you really feel sad for them? All I can feel is respect." Ryuuma explains, smiling at Ryan as he approached them. "Good fight out there, looks like I'll get to have some fun after all."

"Careful out there, they're pretty fast! Don't underestimate her!" Ryan said as the two fist bumped.

Arnett looked back at Ryan as he left, and felt herself shake a little. He may have been losing at first, but after seeing him come back like that on Creo, what did she have to look forward to? She expected that her opponent was even stronger than Ryan, but could she even beat Ryan? She doubted it and for good reason. He had utterly defeated Creo, her best friend and the one person second to her in strength. She looked over at Ryuuma and their eyes met for a long moment, assessing the other. Ryuuma offered a smirk before turning to Ryan as he came to the side line. Arnett felt a bead of sweat go down her cheek, but smiled in response. Their fight will certainly be interesting, and they were on next.

**To be continued…**

**Well there's the new chapter! Hope you all liked it! I meant to make this chapter with both Ryan and Ryuuma's fight, butRyan's fight turned out far longer than I expected. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, remember to leave me a review and favorite! :D**


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